Here Is a Look at Some of the Latest Road-Building Products on the Market.

By Mark S. Kuhar

Roadbuilding products continue to evolve and incorporate new technology for maximum operating efficiency.

Hamm Tandem Rollers

Hamm now offers its DV+ tandem rollers to the North American market. TheDV+ 70i model weighs 7.7 tons. Other models are set to follow in 2018. These highly productive, pivot-steered rollers represent the pinnacle in asphalt compaction, and meet all requirements for optimum compaction quality. Operators are enthusiastic about the excellent visibility and the new, intuitive Easy Drive operating concept.

Construction companies and roller drivers will find everything they would expect from a modern roller in the DV+ series of tandem and combi rollers. The DV+ is economical to use, easy to operate and designed for maximum productivity.

An intelligent drive control – plus pivot steering with four steering modes and large turning angles – form the basis for the highest possible compaction quality. The design is well thought out, enabling an excellent view of the drums and the work environment, an important point when it comes to getting the smoothest mats and satisfying the strictest quality and safety requirements.

Refueling breaks interrupt the compaction process. To avoid them, Hamm has equipped the DV+ series tandem rollers with large water and fuel tanks. Filling is extremely user-friendly because the water can be replenished centrally from the ground very quickly via a pressurized supply of at least 14.7 psi as a standard feature.

Because the tanks are linked together via communicating pipework, they are filled simultaneously. Connection to a hydrant is also an option. Alternatively, water can be gravity-fed from above in the traditional way via one of the four filling spouts on the top. Replenishment of diesel and hydraulic fluid is also conveniently arranged: both can be carried out from ground level.

Despite the extensive machine functions, operation of the DV+ is intuitive and very quickly learned. The key to this is the innovative Easy Drive operating concept, developed by Hamm in collaboration with universities and experts in ergonomics, as well as roller drivers from different countries.

At the heart of the operating concept is an ergonomically optimized operator platform with many inventive details. For example, the seat allows the driver to adopt a relaxed sitting position, facing in the direction of travel in all situations, as it can be turned mechanically by 90 degrees in either direction, and shifted to the left or right as standard.

As an option, the seat can also be electrically shifted and rotated by up to 350 degrees. The height, suspension and depth of the seat – as well as the position of the armrests – also are individually adjustable, as is the steering column angle. Thanks to the wide range of adjustment options, drivers will quickly find a healthy sitting position in the DV+, whatever their physique.

Another key feature of Easy Drive is its operating structure. A steering wheel is used for steering. All other important functions are operated via a joystick and the multifunction armrest. Here, the driver is able to see all the keys on the joystick.

All other operating elements are arranged around the joystick in such a way that the most frequently used ones are placed closest to it. At the same time, the operation is designed to be entirely language-neutral. Hamm uses color coding to achieve unambiguous assignment of the functions, and a clear overview.

Easy Drive provides numerous benefits in and around the operator platform as well: a wide access way to the platform or spacious cab, foldable armrests (on request) or an easy exit with tiltable steering column. In this way, getting on and off becomes even easier and safer.

Documents and personal items can be securely stored in the many compartments around the seat, and two 12 V sockets provide power for a cell phone or ice chest. Last but not least, in the optional cab, excellent sound insulation reduces noise levels from the already quiet engines.

Vöegele Paver

The 8-ft. paver segment is of central importance to many road construction companies, because with these machines they can cover a wide range of applications, from small municipal job sites to highway construction and rehabilitation. With their strong performance and a uniquely compact design, the new SUPER 1700-3i and SUPER 1703-3i pavers put Germany-based Joseph Vögele AG at the forefront of technology in this field. They also integrate the practical features that make the “Dash 3” generation of SUPER pavers synonymous worldwide with modern road pavers – most notably the intuitive and ergonomic ErgoPlus 3 operating concept.

Pavers in the 8-ft. class are road construction machines that are designed to achieve maximum performance both in confined conditions and on highway job sites. What may sound like conflicting objectives has led Vögele’s design engineers to an impressive and future-oriented solution. The result is the new SUPER 1700-3i tracked paver and new SUPER 1703-3i wheeled paver, ultra-modern machines that are compact but powerful, and thus meet the highest demands.

At Vögele, the company noted, quality is always priority number one, and that applies to the durable, reliable and maintenance-friendly technology just as much as to the paving results these machines can achieve. The SUPER 1700-3i and SUPER 1703-3i further integrate many advantages that pay off under demanding operating conditions. For example, the material handling concept that effectively counteracts thermal and mechanical segregation by such means as its cleverly designed receiving hopper, ascending conveyors and hydraulic augers, the height of which can be adjusted by 6 in. (15 cm).

Wirtgen Wheeled Soil Stabilizers

Roads need a reliable base. That’s why the load-bearing capacity of the soil must be assured before every road construction project. Soil stabilizers transform soils with insufficient load-bearing capacity into ground with ideal properties for paving and compacting. Wirtgen has the right environmentally sustainable solution for every soil stabilization task.

The WR 200i, WR 200 XLi, WR 240i and WR 250 models are ideally suited for efficiently stabilizing soils with insufficient load-bearing capacity over a large area. Cement, lime, water or asphalt emulsion may be used as additives and binding agents.

With their powerful milling and mixing rotors, Wirtgen soil stabilizers mix pre-spread binding agents into the existing soil at working depths of up to 22 in. (560 mm), transforming it into a high-quality construction material in an in-situ process. The soil is improved by the addition of lime and stabilized with cement. The homogeneous soil-binding agent mixture that is produced offers high tensile, compressive and shear strengths, long-term resistance to water and frost, and volume stability. Typical applications include the construction of paths, roads, motorways, foundations, parking lots, sports grounds, industrial parks or facilities, airports, embankments, backfills or landfills.

As the process makes use of existing soil material and only requires the mixing in of additives, 100 percent of the reclaimed, bound and unbound material is reused. Eliminating the parade of haul trucks and their fuel consumption, exhaust and traffic congestion, soil stabilization method with Wirtgen equipment has a much smaller carbon footprint than a complete soil exchange. What’s more, the rapid, space-saving process minimizes construction times and disruption to work zone traffic. Wirtgen offers the right machine for each construction project.

Regarded as the all-rounder of the product line, the WR 240i is ideal for stabilization of large areas of insufficiently cohesive soil, and in the resource-saving processing of damaged asphalt pavements using the cold recycling process.